11. Talon
Chapter 11
Talon
When I woke up the next morning, Calista was still dead asleep. She didn’t wake up when I left the bed, but she turned over and got wrapped in the sheets, hogging all the covers.
I dressed in the clothes I found in the dresser, a short-sleeved cotton shirt and trousers, and walked down the pier until I found a sloop I could handle on my own. Fishing gear was already inside it, and I set off over the clear water and made it past the break in the reef.
Khazmuda’s powerful voice sounded in my mind. Good morning.
Where did you sleep?
Inferno showed me his favorite beach. We slept there together.
Sounds nice.
What are you doing? I can feel your mind recede like you’re moving at a distance.
I almost didn’t say out of fear of his reaction. Fishing.
Why?
I miss it. And I didn’t have much time left to enjoy the things I loved. Used to spend the day out on the boat with my father and Silas when I was a boy. All I wanted to do was get out of the sun and go home…and now I would give anything to have another day like that.
I see.
I lowered the sails when I found a quiet spot and dropped my line in the water along with the net, hoping I would catch something in the next hour. I wasn’t sure if Calista would eat it because she seemed to have turned vegetarian after her stay with the elves, but that was okay.
Would you like company?
You’d scare everything away, Khazmuda.
That’s right. Sometimes I forget how terrifying and ferocious I am.
I smirked. No, you don’t.
You’re right. I don’t.
How are things with Inferno?
Despite the fact that he’s been on an island with dragons, he’s lonely. He’s happy I’m here.
I’m glad you two are getting along.
His scales are magnificent.
I smiled again. Not as magnificent as yours.
There was a heavy pause. Thank you, Talon.
I returned to the beach and cooked the fish over a fire. I didn’t have a lot of spices on hand, so I made do with what I had. Fruit was easily accessible from the trees, so I included that in the dish, using the sweetness to complement the saltiness of the fish.
Calista came out moments later, wearing a dress with her eyes still waking up. She dropped to her knees on the sand beside me, her dress rising up to the tops of her thighs. “Is that fish?”
“I went past the reef in one of their sloops.”
“You caught that?” she asked in slight surprise.
“I told you I used to be a sailor.”
“Wasn’t that a long time ago?”
“It’s like gripping a sword. Once you learn, you never forget.” I removed the pan from over the fire and placed it in the sand to cool. “I made enough for two, but don’t feel pressured.”
“I definitely want some. It smells great.”
I divided the dish onto two plates, and we ate in front of the fire, the sun still low in the sky, so it was a cool morning. The waves were gentle, the fire was low, and we ate together like we’d done it together every morning for the last twenty years. The moments I cherished the most somehow also hurt the most.
“You’re a master of the blood. The master of the sea. And now you’re a master of cooking.” She ate everything off her plate before she set it aside. “Did your father teach you how to cook?”
I made a slight scoff. “No. He wouldn’t know the difference between salt and pepper.”
She chuckled. “Then how did you learn?”
I finished my plate and set it aside. “I lived in a hut alone in a fishing village for a year. Picked up on things as I went along.”
We sat together on the beach until the sun started to heat the land. Then we returned to our cabin on the sand, showered, got back into bed, and made the day pass within the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, it was nearly sunset.
A part of me wanted Macabre to say no so I could draw this out as long as possible and cheat Bahamut. But as a god, he seemed to see everything, seemed to know everything. Even though he was barred from Riviana Star, he knew exactly what had happened there.
The two of us walked to Queen Eldinar’s royal chambers and waited outside until she was ready to join us.
“Do you know what you’re going to say?” Calista wore the same olive-green dress she’d worn when we arrived here, the color making her green eyes stand out. The queen was always regal in her presentation, a woman whose beauty rivaled that of the natural world, but she didn’t have the fire that burned within Calista. She didn’t have her strength or grit. She didn’t have her heart. Perhaps my vision was skewed by the beat of my heart, but Calista’s beauty was so powerful, it was like staring straight into the sun.
Calista stared at me.
I stared back.
Her eyebrows rose.
My eyes narrowed in confusion.
“I asked if you know what you’re going to say.”
If I’d heard her, I must have forgotten, lost in the eyes that looked like emeralds. “Yes.” I hadn’t given it any thought, spending all my time with Calista by the sea. Choosing to cherish the present rather than worry about the future.
The double doors opened, and Queen Eldinar appeared with General Ezra at her side, the personal guard who never left her presence, who guided her as his monarch but also, selfishly, as his wife. “Follow me.” She stepped off the deck that led to the front door and made her way to the dirt path between the trees, going in the opposite direction of our seaside cabin.
Calista and I followed her for ten minutes, walking along the shore as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
She stopped on a vacant beach, a circle of large bonfires lit to illuminate the area for the meeting. She walked onto the sand barefoot then stopped, her gown moving in the breeze that blew in from the ocean.
Khazmuda landed behind me after I told him where we were. Inferno landed beside him then stepped to Calista before he dipped his head to look down at her, like she was his hatchling.
She tilted her head back to look up, and the biggest smile entered her face. A smile so beautiful and genuine that I couldn’t do anything but stare. Couldn’t do anything but memorize it to savor it for the hard times ahead.
Inferno rubbed his snout against her cheek before he stepped back.
Calista looked ahead, and slowly, her smile disappeared, but a hint of it was still in her eyes.
I continued to stare.
She must have felt it because she turned to look at me.
Her green eyes reflected the fires, looking like brilliant emerald flames dancing to the beat of her heart.
Another moment I wanted to memorize.
“Macabre approaches.” Queen Eldinar continued to stand several feet in front of us, prepared to greet the mighty dragon with scales of smoke.
I looked forward and waited, the blue sky deepening into shades of pink and purple. In the next twenty minutes, it would be dark, and the temperature would become cool and pleasant. I turned to the sky and saw him above, only noticeable because the sky had hardened in the sunset. His scales truly were dark like smoke, but still iridescent like a pearl. With a wide wingspan that rivaled Khazmuda’s, he was a large dragon that could terrorize an entire village on his own.
He dropped to the ground with an increasing speed like he didn’t intend to slow down before he landed. He didn’t widen his wings when he was close to the earth, choosing to land with enough force to send a tremor through the ground. Sand splashed around his talons like disturbed water.
In the light of the torches, he looked even more incredible, his scales shining from every angle. He had the same kind of elegance as Queen Eldinar, holding himself fully upright like an invisible crown sat upon his head.
He stared at Queen Eldinar for a short moment before he shifted his gaze to me. It instantly turned hostile, like I was as unwelcome in his lands as Queen Eldinar claimed. He didn’t need to speak a word to tell me how deep his disdain burned, how much he wished he could kill me for threatening the only home he had left.
“Macabre.” Queen Eldinar was a speck in comparison to his height. She was normally the biggest person in the room because of her power and beauty, but she was quickly dwarfed by this powerful dragon.
He resisted her voice for a moment before he switched his gaze back to hers.
“Thank you for coming,” she said. “I understand how difficult this is for you.”
He projected his voice outward and included me, probably because Queen Eldinar told him I had the gift for speaking with dragons. It is. His gaze shifted back to me. I like him even less than I thought I would. I can smell his arrogance the way I can smell a horse in a stable. Just because one dragon was na?ve enough to fuse with him doesn’t earn him any allegiance from us. I’m disappointed that you allowed him to come here. He had a tougher spine than most men I’d fought, speaking his mind right to my face without even giving me a chance to speak.
“I didn’t like him either.”
Macabre turned his stare back to her.
“My opinion of his character was the same—until he changed it. He didn’t earn my respect because he desired it. It happened because of his altruistic dedication to others. It happened because I saw a hero instead of a villain. It happened because I saw the heart beneath the flesh. If you give him a chance, you might feel the same.”
I already gave men a chance—and look what happened .
I decided to jump into the conversation. “I’m not like the men who came before me. You’re right to assume that humankind has dangerous intentions and can’t be trusted. You’re right to assume that they’ll always be a threat to you. But I’ve never been like the rest of my race. I’ve had a stronger relationship with my dragon than I’ve had with most humans. I would lay down my life for him.”
Macabre continued his ruthless stare.
“History will repeat itself. Men will always want power and immortality—and they’ll come after you to get it. I’m not offended by your distaste for my kind because I hate them just the same.” My own distant uncle slew my entire family for power. Destroyed an entire bloodline. Burned a pregnant woman alive. “I’m a friend to dragons, all dragons, and I respect and fear you.”
You should fear me, human.
“My name is Talon.”
Human . He looked at Queen Eldinar again. Why do you subject me to this introduction?
“Because he has something to tell you. Before you listen to him, I want you to understand what he’s done for Riviana Star. Humans from the south tried to take the forest, but Talon stopped them with his sword and his powers. When Riviana Star was threatened by dark elves and the Real of Caelum nearly compromised, Talon saved it. I was already on my knees from all the knives that pierced my armor, but I survived because Talon took the blades that were meant for me. If Riviana Star had fallen, you would be on your own, Macabre. Your only ally in the world would have perished.”
Macabre shifted his gaze back to me. I’m sure this human had his reasons for helping you.
“One reason,” I said. “And that’s the woman who stands beside me.” I chose to be honest in the hope he would trust me. The more I tried to sell myself, the more suspicious he would become. “Her love for the forest made me love it too. And when the Realm of Caelum was at risk, I defended it with my blade and the powers bestowed upon me—because my family dwells on the other side. Because her family dwells on the other side. Because one day, she’ll travel there too.” I looked into his powerful eyes and saw someone similar to myself, someone who had lost their trust in everyone. “I had no affection for the elves before I saved Riviana Star, but now that affection runs as deep as the ocean. But from the moment I was born, I was taught to respect dragons. Taught that they were more than immortal beasts with the gift of projectile fire. That they were friends and allies. I should have died a long time ago, but Khazmuda saved me, not once, but twice. There’s nothing more I can do to prove my love for your kind than everything I’ve already done.”
This puzzle is missing a piece. It’s clear you want something from me since you’re so determined to earn my favor. Make your request so I can deny it.
Everything I’d said meant nothing to him. I might as well have just stood there in silence.
Queen Eldinar stepped aside, leaving it up to me to figure this out.
I stepped forward, away from Khazmuda and Calista. “My father was the King of the Southern Isles many years ago. For generations, we shared a border with King Constantine, King of Dragons.”
Dragons didn’t wear expressions the way people did. Their eyes didn’t dilate and they didn’t frown or smile, so it was hard to know if that information meant anything to him. He continued to stare without blinking.
“We coexisted in harmony. We never ventured into their lands, and they never fed on our livestock. We were always allies, but life had been peaceful for generations, so there was never a reason to combine our forces against an adversary. Well…that all changed one horrible day. A distant family relation staged a coup against my family, and he used the power of the dark elves to force Constantine and his kin into mental subjugation. He attacked the Southern Isles with the dragons as unwilling participants—and he burned each member of my family alive.” No matter how many times I shared this story, it still fucking hurt. “The only reason I stand before you is because Khazmuda rescued me just before they burned me.”
Macabre shifted his gaze to Khazmuda. Why were you able to resist the dark magic while the others could not?
I don’t know. But they almost succeeded. It felt like a blade that punctured my skull and slowly inched closer to my brain. I somehow forced it out and felt Talon’s agony. I thought he was a dragon that needed help.
Why did you save him instead of your kin? Accusation was heavy in his tone.
Because they couldn’t be saved. They were lost…
Macabre continued to stare him down. You fused with a human. The very race that enslaved your kind.
They may be the same race, but they aren’t the same people. One bad apple doesn’t mean the whole tree is rotten. We’ve been fused for several decades, and our love, friendship, and connection has deepened through that time. I don’t love him the way I would love a mate or a hatchling, but I love him just as deeply.
“Thank you, Khazmuda.”
Macabre’s eyes shifted back to me, still cloudy with suspicion.
“Khazmuda and I intend to free the dragons of the Southern Isles. But we can’t do it alone. We can’t do it with all the armies I’ve claimed. We need dragons to fight with us. Otherwise, we have no chance.”
So you ask us to fight alongside you.
“Yes.”
There is no chance of success, Talon. Even if I agreed to help you, we would be mentally enslaved by the dark elves the moment we reached the Southern Isles. We would be trapped in the same mental prison. This plan of yours is doomed. The idea of any dragon being forced to serve humankind is like a mark against my scales, but I will not risk the last of our kind for them.
His plan is not doomed. It takes the focus of many elves and several minutes to enslave a dragon. They took Constantine first because they knew he would be the hardest. Chaos and horror ensued after that, and they tied us down and trapped us one by one, using our own kin to pin us against the ground. In the heat of battle, there simply won’t be time for that kind of opportunity.
You’re still asking me to kill other dragons, something I won’t do. Their actions are not their own.
“I don’t want to kill the dragons either. But if the dragons aren’t distracted by their own opponents, they’ll eviscerate us down below. I just need enough time to kill my uncle and slay the dark elves. Once the elves are gone, the dragons will be free.”
Macabre stared at me for a long silence. Even if you presented an unshakable plan, my answer would not change. I feel for the dragons who were conquered by dark magic, but our survival is of the greatest importance. We are still recovering from the Great War the mortals have forgotten because they’re all dead.
I’d expected this, but it was still disappointing. “Dragons don’t die, Macabre. That means they’re enslaved for eternity. A cruelty so unspeakable it hurts just to think about it.” A cruelty I would have to endure myself. “If you choose to remain on this island?—”
You can paint me as a coward all you like, but it won’t change my answer. If this were reversed, I would not expect them to come for me. I would expect them to protect the last line of dragons.
“You would expect them to leave you, but you wouldn’t want them to.”
I’ve given my answer, Talon.
“This island won’t hold you forever. It’s not big enough for creatures your size. Your kin live forever, so if you continue to produce hatchlings, you’ll consume all your natural resources and turn it into a wasteland. You will be forced to leave, and then where will you go?”
By then, we’ll have a much bigger population and, therefore, will be a more formidable adversary. We’ll take whatever lands we wish and burn the humans the way they tried to burn us.
A jolt of rage hit me, but I couldn’t act on it. “So, you only care about yourself.”
He was still as he stared at me. Yes .
“So, you conquer the humans, piss them off, and then one day, they rise up and conquer you. The cycle never ends. I have a better idea. Help us save the dragons of the Southern Isles. Claim the lands that were taken from Constantine. Live in peace by the sea, on more land than you could ever need, alongside your kin whom you saved from damnation.” I was so fucking close but so damn far away. Macabre was the most stubborn dragon I’d ever met. “Please.”
Don’t pretend you care that deeply about the dragons. All you care about is your revenge and your crown ? —
“I will not take the crown. As I already told you, I’m not like other humans. I need to avenge my family, but I also need to see the dragons fly free again. My uncle’s actions were not my own, but I feel responsible because I knew he had a ploy up his sleeve—and I didn’t stop it.” Everything that happened was my fault. I didn’t just lose my family, but the dragons lost their entire civilization. All because I didn’t have a damn spine. “The guilt has gnawed at me for decades. I will not find peace until I fix it— all of it . I realize it’s a lot to ask, I do. But I need your help. Khazmuda and Inferno simply aren’t enough to take on all their dragons. Neither is my power over the dead.”
His eyes narrowed. You wield the power of a god.
“Yes…”
The God of the Underworld does not share his gifts freely.
“Trust me, it wasn’t free.”
All he did was stare at me.
“Please…”
I warned you my answer wouldn’t change ? —
“How can you go about your life after what I just told you? There are a hundred dragons who are enslaved by dark magic. They’re treated like fucking horses. They endure an existence so horrific, they wish for death. And you’re going sit here on your fucking island and watch the sunset? I spoke with King Constantine many times, and he was the bravest and fiercest dragon I ever knew. If he sat where you sit now, he would have agreed to the fight the second he knew others suffered. Because his scales are harder than yours will ever be.”
Queen Eldinar spoke with a warning in her tone. “Talon.”
Macabre stared at me with eyes of smoke.
“I meant what I said.”
Constantine was a king. I am no king .
“You’re right,” I snapped. “You’re a coward. You’re a coward who likes to sit in his cave and eat and mate all day long. You don’t care about the suffering of others when your life is too perfect?—”
“ Talon .” Queen Eldinar warned me again.
I ignored her. “But what if Queen Eldinar decided not to help you? What if she left you to your fate while she sat comfortably upon her throne and watched the sunlight flood through the trees? What if she abandoned you the way you’re abandoning your own kind? You would be dead, Macabre. Your head would be mounted on the wall in a fucking museum. I didn’t care for the elves before I met them, but they’re the only race I’ve ever known to care for others as much as they care for themselves. That should inspire you to do the same. You’re a disgrace to your kind?—”
“That’s enough.” Queen Eldinar didn’t raise her voice, but her displeasure was evident. “Talon, you’ve had your opportunity to make your plea to Macabre. It’s time we go our separate ways.”
“He says he’s no king, so that means I have the right to ask each dragon individually,” I said. “He does not have the power to decide for everyone.”
They will not listen to you.
“I have a feeling they’ll listen to me better than you have.”
Queen Eldinar came to my side and addressed Macabre. “Thank you for agreeing to listen?—”
Macabre pushed against the sand and took flight, moving a large amount of mass in very little time. He disappeared quickly, getting so high in the sky that the flames from the bonfires couldn’t reflect off his scales. Then he was gone, and his absence was felt.
Queen Eldinar stared at the bonfires for a long time before she turned to look at me. Like a mother disappointed in her child, her blue eyes were heavy with quiet resentment. “That was not diplomatic.”
“He’s a coward.”
“Macabre is a dear friend. Please don’t insult his character in my presence.”
“I stand by what I said.”
Her disappointment continued. “I’ve given you your opportunity, Death King. Now it’s time you search for another solution.”
“Doesn’t this bother you?” I asked.
All she did was stare.
“You’ve dedicated your lives to their protection, and when the time comes for them to fight for someone else, they do nothing.”
“They’ve suffered a great deal, Death King?—”
“So has everyone else in this world.”
No matter how angry I became, she retained her calm. “We can continue this conversation tomorrow when you’re yourself once more.”
“I am myself, Your Majesty.”
She stepped closer to me. “I know this is what your heart desires most. I understand the disappointment is simply too much to bear. But you’ve come so far in your journey—and I know this is not the end. You will find a way.”
“I don’t know?—”
“ You will find a way .”